Bottle



lJNiTED STATES PATENT FFICE.

JOHN BAI-IRENBURG AND FRANK M. DRAKE, OF TRENTON, NElV JERSEY.

BOTTLE, DEMIJOHN, etc.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 575,317, dated January19, 1897.

Application filed n ary 11, 1896. Serial No. 575,123. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we,JOHN H. BAHRENBURG and FRANK M. DRAKE, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Trenton,in the county of Mercer andState of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Bottles, Demijohns, and Like Vessels, of which the following is aspecification.

Our invention relates to an improvement in bottles; and it has for itsobject to so construct the bottle that a second use thereof will beimpossible. We also secure other advantages hereinafter set forth.

For a long time and in various branches of business there has been ademand for a bottle, demijohn, or like vessel so constructed as thatafter it has been once used a second use will be physically impossible,so that the refilling of the same with goods of aninferior grade cannotbe practiced. By our invention we accomplish the desired object and soconstruct the vessel that we secure not only the above-stated advantage,to wit, that it cannot be used a second time, but also it is absolutelyimpossible for the contents of the vessel, by reason of its expansiblecharacter, to eject the cork and escape; also, the vessel cannot betampered with, as by drawing the cork and replacing it with another one,because our cork is guarded by material impervious to the action of acorkscrew or other device, and, finally, the act of removing the portionof the bottle which renders a second use impossible does not permit thecontents of the bottle to escape. This last is a very great conveniencein the practical manipulation of the vessel.

Referring to the drawings, Figure l illustrates a vertical centralsection of a bottle embodying our invention. Fig. 2illustrates ahorizontal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates adetail of the upper or, as we call it, guard stopper. Fig. 4.illustrates modified construction of the guard-stopper.

In the drawings and description hereof we shall refer to our inventionas applied to an ordinary bottle adapted to contain wine, mineral water,beer, or similar fluid, but we wish it understood that our invention isequally applicable to demijohns, carboys, or any similar vessel.

A is the body of the vessel, which may be made of glass, as usual.

B is a circular groove made around the neck of the bottle, leaving theglass quite thin between its bottom and the interior of the neck. It isnot so thin that in the ordinary use. of the vessel fracture will takeplace, but sufficiently so that a sharp blow, as with the handle of aknife or any suitable metal or wooden implement, will break the neckacross on the line of the circular groove.

0 is another groove on the inside of the neck, having a square shoulderD at its upper part.

E is what we designate the glass stopper. It is preferably made of glassand fits the inside of the neck of the bottle with considerableaccuracy, although not tightly. An annular recess E surrounds theguard-stopper, in which a piece of wire is placed, which is bent orotherwise shaped into the form of spring-fingers G G, some of whichproject inwardly and some outwardly. Those which project inwardly restin the circular recess in the stopper and against its upper and lowershoulders, and thus hold the fingers as a whole in place, and thosewhich project outwardly engage with the shoulder D on the bottle. Thiswire is of course a spring-wire, brass or steel preferably. Consequentlywhen the guard is introduced within the neck of the bottle thesespring-fingers G G will spring outwardly and engage behind the shoulderD in the neck of the bottle, thus affording absolute stops, whichprevent the guard-stopper from moving outwardly.

H is a projection from the under side of the guard-stopper, which restsagainst the upper surface of the cork or rubber stopper I. The relativesizes of the parts is such that the vacant space J between the lower endof the guard stopper and the upper end of the cork I will come oppositethe groove B in the neck of the bottle.

The operation of the device is as follows: The bottle being filled withliquid, as desired, the rubber or cork stopper I is by suitable bottlingappliances forced into the neck of the bottle to the position shown inFig. 1. The guard-stopperE is then dropped into the neck, and by gentlepressure the spring-fingers G G are collapsed, they entering the recessin the stopper, so that it will pass into theneck of the bottle untilthe spring-fingers come opposite the shoulder D, whereupon they springoutwardly and lock the guard-stopper by their engagement with theshoulder, and when it is in this position the projection I-I nearly orquite touches the upper surface of the cork or rubber stopper I, and thevacant space J is opposite the circular groove B, as already stated.

When it is desired to get at the contents of the bottle, it is held inone hand, and a sharp rap is given on the neck of the bottle near itsend, whereupon the end, carrying the guard stopper with it, readilybreaks off on the line of the circular groove B. A cork screw orequivalent utensil is now used to withdraw the cork or rubber stopper I,whereupon the contents flow out as usual.

It will be seen that under our invention the bottle cannot be tamperedwith, because the real stopper I is protected or guarded by the glassstopper E, which cannot be manipulated by a corkscrew or other device;also, that the guard-stopper being positively locked in position by thespring-fingers locking upon the shoulder on the bottle no amount ofpressure from within can force the cork out 5 also, that the only way toopen the bottle and to get the contents out is to break off the upperportion of the neck, whereby it is destroyed for a second use-that is tosay, it is so changed in shape, appearance, &c., that a second use wouldbe instantly detected; and, lastly, the upper end of the guard-stopper Eand the upper rim of the neck of the bottle coincide in position, sothat a label can be conveniently pas ted straight across the whole,giving a much neater finish to the top of the neck than where stoppersrequiring cord or wire to hold the cork in position or other unevensurfaces are presented.

In Fig. 4 we show a modified construction of the guard-stopper. In it,instead of employing the wires G as the means for locking theguard-stopper in place, a band of metal (shown at F and havingupwardly-projecting spring-fingers K K) is fastened about the recessedpart of the guard stopper, which spring-fingers act in substantially thesame manner as the wire fingers G do in the other construction. Littleprojections or studs K may be left projecting in the recess in theguard-stopper, which will prevent the band F from moving upwardly.

\Ve do not limit ourselves to the details of construction shown anddescribed, because it will be evident to those who are familiar withthis art that modifications can be made in them without departing fromthe spirit of our invention, particularly that other means may beemployed to retain the guard-stopper in position; also, the shoulder Dneed not be a continuous groove or recess around the inside of the neckof the bottle. On the contrary, a sufficient number of shoulders in theform of small separated pits or recesses will serve the same purpose;also, material other than glass may be used for the guard-stopper. eprefer, however, something that cannot be penetrated by a corkscrew orotherwise manipulated, such as porcelain, hard wood, or the like.

We claim- 1. A bottle, the neck whereof is reduced in thickness, asealing device made of cork or other material, which may be manipulatedby a corkscrew, located in the neck below said reduction, aguard-stopper above said reduction having a downwardly-projectingportion of less diameter than itself, which engages with the sealingdevice below, thus leaving a vacant chamber adjacent to the reducedportion of the neck, and metallic spring fingers located in an annularrecess on the guard-stopper, which project upwardly and laterally beyondthe guard-stopper, whereby they engage with a shoulder on the neck ofthe bottle, for the purposes set forth.

2. Abottle having its neck reduced in thickness, a sealing device withinthe neck below the reduction, a guard-stopper made of materialimpervious to corkscrew or like device above said reduction the lowerportion whereof is provided with a projection adapted to rest upon thelower sealing device, thus producing a vacant space adjacent to thepoint of reduction of the thickness of the neck, metallic spring-fingersformed of corrugated spring-wire, the lower ends whereof are set in anannular recess in the guard-stopper, and the upper ends whereof projectupwardly and laterally from the guard-stopper and engage with a shoulderon the neck of the bot tle, for the purposes set forth.

Signed at Trenton, in the county of Mercer and State of New Jersey, this9th day of January, A. D. 1896.

JOHN II. BAHRENBURG. FRANK M. DRAKE. Witnesses:

CHARLES N. BRoKAw, WM. P. FORD.

